Knicks Morning News (Saturday, Apr 20 2013)

Perhaps it’s just gamesmanship. Or maybe it is a player honestly assessing a No. 7 seed, the Celtics, going against a No. 2 seed, the Knicks, in the NBA playoffs.
But Boston’s Kevin Garnett Friday anointed the Celtics as series underdogs while proclaiming the Knicks the better team…

This would have been the clear edge for the Celtics because Rajon Rondo has been a triple-double threat each time he has faced the Knicks. Though Avery Bradley, the injured Rondo’s replacement, is a stout, versatile defender, he can’t compare with Raymond Felton offensively. Felton can…

Now or never. Carmelo Anthony has that urgent mentality for a veteran-laden Knicks team to win a championship this season. On the eve of Game 1 against Boston, the Knicks superstar said, “The time is now.”
The Knicks go green today as the Celtics invade the Garden for Game 1…

So much of the basketball life is based on luck and whimsy. You get on a run. You land on the right team. A ball bounces this way. A call goes that way. So much of Mike Woodson’s life has been about chasing after a championship, and so often…

From the ashes of the Isiah Thomas Era comes this game, Game 1 against the Celtics at the Garden, and for the first time in a long, long time, comes a Knicks team that believes.
Believes it can win more than a single playoff game.
Believes it can win more…

Chris Copeland wasn’t around for last season’s NBA playoffs. Not with the Knicks, not in the NBA, not in the country.
“I was still overseas,â? Copeland said yesterday. “We had our own playoff over there. I watched a little bit of [the NBA playoffs] and got back.â?
After…

Jason Kidd has a message for Kevin Garnett: It’s not going to work this time.
Kidd fully expects Garnett and the Celtics to try to get under the Knicks’ skin in the best-of-seven-game series beginning Saturday at the Garden. Garnett and Carmelo Anthony supposedly made up following their January…

For the NBA playoffs, think of a pace slower than an octogenarian wearing ankle weights. Get in the trenches, slug it out with chains and tire irons with all the grace and beauty of a landfill.
Yet some believe the Knicks, who led the world in 3-pointers taken and made…

The long journey to 16 wins begins Saturday for the Knicks inside their iconic building that has witnessed just one playoff victory in 12 years and hasn’t raised a championship banner in 40.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

You walked into the Knicks’ practice gym on the eve of Game 1 against the Celtics and there was Rasheed Wallace, one of the old, broken-down Knicks from the regular season who was brought in for playoff experience but won’t be able to make the opening bell at the Garden on Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Knicks spent the past six months scratching and clawing to get to Saturday. Now the real season begins.
This afternoon, the Knicks start what they hope will be a long playoff run when they face the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden.
Here are a few things to keep an eye on during Game 1 of the first-round series; tipoff is at 3 p.m.:
MELO’S TIME: There are plenty of variables at play in this series, but the Knicks know they’ll probably go only as far as Carmelo Anthony takes them.

Steve Nash gave the Los Angeles Lakers a welcome boost on Friday when he said he was “very optimistic” he would play in Saturday’s Game One of their first-round playoff series against the Spurs in San Antonio.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

61 comments on “Knicks Morning News (Saturday, Apr 20 2013)”

I really can’t wait until Melo is traded or signs elsewhere so we don’t have to listen to your self-obsessed drivel. Your expertise reigns over all.

Bring back the days of Isiah, please…

You defy logic. Melo and Ruru will both most likely be here for the next decade at least. Knicks will max him out again and they will be contenders/semi contenders for that span. Are you really going to be that stubborn to have to troll for another 10 years? Did you hate Ewing when he was the superstar and Knicks were perpetual contenders in the 90s? Bring back the days of Isiah? Are you even a knicks fan? Seriously, if you are not thats honestly fine I would just like to get it straight in my head.

Gotta agree 100 percent with ruru on the case of JR. My understanding (rudimentary as it is) is that JR’s previous streaks were do to almost entirely hot jump shooting which is why he was so up and down. Now he is getting to the paint with regularity and his ratio of shots to free throws is much higher than any point in his career (does anyone have the number?).

Look, I am far from experienced in basketball stats. I just enjoy watching the Knicks play. But even a simple fan like myself can see that JR is a different player than he was in Denver.

And I think guys should lay off of ruru. From what I’ve seen so far he presents an intelligent argument based in facts and statistics. I’ve only seen him get nasty with people who are nasty to him. I haven’t commented much, but I’ve been on these boards for the last year and a half and ruru’s comments are probably the ones I look forward to the most.

WeirdJohn:
Gotta agree 100 percent with ruru on the case of JR.My understanding (rudimentary as it is) is that JR’s previous streaks were do to almost entirely hot jump shooting which is why he was so up and down.Now he is getting to the paint with regularity and his ratio of shots to free throws is much higher than any point in his career (does anyone have the number?).

Look, I am far from experienced in basketball stats.I just enjoy watching the Knicks play.But even a simple fan like myself can see that JR is a different player than he was in Denver.

And I think guys should lay off of ruru.From what I’ve seen so far he presents an intelligent argument based in facts and statistics.I’ve only seen him get nasty with people who are nasty to him.I haven’t commented much, but I’ve been on these boards for the last year and a half and ruru’s comments are probably the ones I look forward to the most.

Great tweet from Hahn today about Carmelo’s supposed playoff “failures”:

“Carmelo Anthony’s playoff history will be discussed ad nauseum. Let’s set some of the facts straight now:

This is Melo’s 10th straight playoff appearance. He joins Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili as the only current players in the NBA to have appeared in the playoffs his entire career for 10+ seasons.

In his previous nine appearances, Melo has advanced out of the first round only one time: in 2008-09 with the Denver Nuggets. That team reached the Western Conference Finals and lost to the Lakers in six games.

The Lakers went on to win the NBA title. In those nine playoff appearances, Melo’s teams have lost to the eventual NBA champion four times: 2005-Spurs, 2007-Spur, 2009-Lakers and 2012-Heat.

The Knicks are the No. 2 seed in the East. It is the fourth time Melo has been on a team that was the higher seed in the first round. The first time, 2005-06, the No. 3 Nuggets were upset by the No. 6 Clippers in five. This was, by far, the most disappointing playoff result of Melo’s career.

The next time, in 2008-09, the No. 2 seeded Nuggets went to the conference finals. This was, by far, Melo’s most sucessful run in the postseason.

The following year, the Nuggets were the No. 4 seed, but had an identical record with the 5-seed Utah Jazz. Denver lost that series and the case against Melo as a playoff performer was built.

Overall, this will be only the third time in 10 years that Melo’s team has a better record than its first round opponent.

“Carmelo Anthony’s playoff history will be discussed ad nauseum. Let’s set some of the facts straight now:

This is Melo’s 10th straight playoff appearance. He joins Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili as the only current players in the NBA to have appeared in the playoffs his entire career for 10+ seasons.

In his previous nine appearances, Melo has advanced out of the first round only one time: in 2008-09 with the Denver Nuggets. That team reached the Western Conference Finals and lost to the Lakers in six games.

The Lakers went on to win the NBA title. In those nine playoff appearances, Melo’s teams have lost to the eventual NBA champion four times: 2005-Spurs, 2007-Spur, 2009-Lakers and 2012-Heat.

The Knicks are the No. 2 seed in the East. It is the fourth time Melo has been on a team that was the higher seed in the first round. The first time, 2005-06, the No. 3 Nuggets were upset by the No. 6 Clippers in five. This was, by far, the most disappointing playoff result of Melo’s career.

The next time, in 2008-09, the No. 2 seeded Nuggets went to the conference finals. This was, by far, Melo’s most sucessful run in the postseason.

The following year, the Nuggets were the No. 4 seed, but had an identical record with the 5-seed Utah Jazz. Denver lost that series and the case against Melo as a playoff performer was built.

Overall, this will be only the third time in 10 years that Melo’s team has a better record than its first round opponent.

Our own Earl is in 2 of them, it’s also funny listening to the depressed voices of the home announcers as the shot goes through for the visiting team. And Ellis’s shot to beat Houston (which was #1) was truly ridiculous.

you could say this about pretty much every NBA playoff series ever, but the first two games are crucial to protect home court, especially with Boston all riled up from this past week. it starts this afternoon, don’t fuck it up, Knicks.

“Carmelo Anthony’s playoff history will be discussed ad nauseum. Let’s set some of the facts straight now:

This is Melo’s 10th straight playoff appearance. He joins Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili as the only current players in the NBA to have appeared in the playoffs his entire career for 10+ seasons.

In his previous nine appearances, Melo has advanced out of the first round only one time: in 2008-09 with the Denver Nuggets. That team reached the Western Conference Finals and lost to the Lakers in six games.

The Lakers went on to win the NBA title. In those nine playoff appearances, Melo’s teams have lost to the eventual NBA champion four times: 2005-Spurs, 2007-Spur, 2009-Lakers and 2012-Heat.

The Knicks are the No. 2 seed in the East. It is the fourth time Melo has been on a team that was the higher seed in the first round. The first time, 2005-06, the No. 3 Nuggets were upset by the No. 6 Clippers in five. This was, by far, the most disappointing playoff result of Melo’s career.

The next time, in 2008-09, the No. 2 seeded Nuggets went to the conference finals. This was, by far, Melo’s most sucessful run in the postseason.

The following year, the Nuggets were the No. 4 seed, but had an identical record with the 5-seed Utah Jazz. Denver lost that series and the case against Melo as a playoff performer was built.

Overall, this will be only the third time in 10 years that Melo’s team has a better record than its first round opponent.

So what will it be this time? Like 2006 or 2009?”

this is a good tweet but it is false, the year that the nuggets lost to the clips the nuggs were the 3 seed but it was only because they won the division. The clippers had a better record and had homecourt advantage…..